Soccer: England 2018 Cup bid backed

The British government has agreed to back an England bid to stage the 2018 World Cup even though its football association has not yet announced it will be a candidate.

World soccer body Fifa is expected to rule that the 2018 World Cup will be staged in Europe, and England, which already has top-quality stadiums, would be a leading candidate to stage the cup for the first time since 1966.